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By Associated PressFriday March 23, 2012 9:01 AM

Veterinarians from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium began performing medical tests yesterday on the
five exotic animals held there since their owner released dozens of wild creatures from his farm
before he committed suicide in October.

The Columbus zoo has been caring for three leopards, two primates and a bear under state-issued
quarantine orders. One leopard was euthanized after being struck by a door lowering between two
enclosures.

The animals are those that survived the release outside Zanesville in eastern Ohio. Authorities
were forced to kill 48 of 56 others, including Bengal tigers, lions and bears, as they moved into
the community.

Terry Thompson’s widow, Marian Thompson, has sought to reclaim the surviving animals, but the
Ohio Department of Agriculture ordered that they be kept in quarantine. Ohio law allows the
agriculture director to quarantine animals while investigating reports of dangerous diseases.

Officials initially were concerned about whether the animals were strong enough to survive being
anesthetized for testing, but the state veterinarian determined on Tuesday that they were.

The animals are undergoing physical exams, X-rays and blood testing, said Erica Pitchford, a
spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department. The state will send blood and urine samples to an
outside lab for analysis. The results could take one to two weeks.

Pitchford said Marian Thompson’s veterinarian sent a technician to be present during the testing
and to collect samples.